The present invention relates to interlocking building blocks and a system for using the same, and more particularly to a set of lightweight interlocking building blocks and a system for using the same in which conventional concrete block construction techniques can be employed.
Conventional concrete or "cinder" blocks have been employed for many years in the construction of residential and commercial buildings. Generally, concrete blocks comprise a rectangular polyhedron carrying a pair of vertically oriented apertures. Concrete blocks are built-up into a wall by laying a plurality of successive courses or rows of concrete blocks. The concrete blocks in one row are offset by one-half the length of the block with respect to concrete blocks in the next adjacent course. The vertically oriented apertures in the concrete blocks, however, remain aligned so that successive apertures join to form an aperture that reaches from the bottom to the top of a wall. Once the wall is constructed, reinforcing steel is generally inserted into these apertures at selected locations, the apertures are then filled with concrete, which, when set, forms a reinforced column. Similarly, a modified concrete block is employed in selected courses to form a horizontal reinforcing beam. The modified concrete block is referred to as a bond beam block and has a longitudinally extending U-shaped channel that runs the full length of the upper portion of each of the bond beam blocks. Once a course of bond beam blocks is laid, the longitudinally extending channels of the bond beam blocks are lined along the entire course with coarse paper or other material to form a trough that extends longitudinally along the entire course of bond beam blocks. Reinforced steel is then laid in the trough and the trough is filled with concrete to form a reinforcing horizontal beam referred to as a bond beam along the entire length of a wall. These bond beams combined with the columns provide a reinforcing network for walls constructed from concrete blocks.
Concrete blocks are generally molded at a manufacturing site from cement and aggregate. The concrete blocks, which are relatively heavy, are then transported to the construction site where they are used. Not only are the concrete blocks heavy and thus expensive to transport, the aggregate in a cement matrix is a relatively poor insulator. Thus, it is normally necessary in concrete block construction to utilize interior insulation if the interior temperature of a building built from concrete blocks is to be maintained at a level different than that of ambient conditions surrounding the building. Additionally, concrete block courses are generally joined to each other with mortar. Thus, skilled and expensive labor is required to construct or erect a concrete block building.
Many attempts have been made to provide a substitute for conventional concrete blocks that are easy to utilize, require little skilled labor to erect, are lightweight, and are inherently good insulators. As a consequence, a variety of interlocking building blocks have been suggested by the art, including those composed of polymeric foam materials. None, however, has met with any commercial success.